Light plywood shipping container



J; L 1939- N. TUFTS 2,145,615

LIGHT PLYWOOD SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Sept. 16, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1mi AMT/WV TUFTS ATTORNEY Jam. 31, 1939. NTUFTS I 21,145,6l5

LIGHT PLYWOOD SHIPPINGCONTAINER I Filed Sept. 16, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2--11 RNVENTOR WAT/MAI 77/F78 ATTORNEY Jam. 31, 1939..

N. TUFTS LIGHT PLYWOOD SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Sept. 16, 1935 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR NATM/V Tl/FTS BY 7 c."

TTORNEIY Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIGHTPLYWOOD SHIPPING CONTAINER Application September 16, 1935, Serial No.40,709

Claims.

This invention relates to a light weight wooden box construction of theknock down type and particularly of the large size frequently known as apacking or shipping case.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple arrangement ofmembers, which may be shipped in a one piece mat form and which may beeasily and quickly assembled in box form, as desired for use, withoutthe necessity of employing tools therefor or any additional parts.

A feature of the invention is to make a container of packing-box size,which is sufficiently solid and of a balanced construction so that itwill stand rough treatment to which it may be subjected, while reducingthe weight thereof to a minimum. A further feature of my improvedconstruction is that the container is very tight when sealed serving toprotect the contents against rain, dust, and the like. 20 With the usualconstruction of wire-bound packing boxes, it is necessary in shipping aload of boxes in mat form, to assemble two or three boxes and fill themwith the necessary quantity of box ends. When the shipper desires to usethese boxes he must then pick over and select the end members which fitthe various mats, arrange the structure in box form, and unite the endsof the wire bales thereon after the goods have been packed and the lidclosed.

In my improved box construction all the members are arranged in theircorrect positions in the mat form and it is simply a question of foldingand unfolding the members to the desired position, filling the boxes,closing the lid and applying an adhesive tape to prepare the box forshipment. Such simple operations. may be readily performed by femalelabor.

Further features and advantages will be more apparent from a detaileddescription of the embodiments of my invention illustrated in thedrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a box in assembled position with thelid thereof raised prior 45 to packing and sealing.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a box of relatively great length ascompared with width and depth and showing a band applied around themiddle thereof to strengthen the same.

50 Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 without the lid andwith portions broken away to show the construction thereof.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modification of my invention showingadditional binding tapes 55 applied around the ends of the box.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a box such as shown in Fig. 1 when arrangedin mat form.

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 6, 6 of Fig.2.

Figure 7 is a vertical section through the mat 5 taken on the line 11 ofFig. 5.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a section of one type of tape which may beemployed in connection with my invention. one portion being broken awayto show more clearly the construction thereof. 10

In the drawings, as assembled box is indicated at It and is composed ofa bottom member ll, side sections l2 and I3, ends M, l5 and top or lidl6. These top, bottom, and side sections are preferably joined alongtheir longitudinal edges by suitable strips of tape ll, which arepreferably sufficiently flexible to act as a hinge for the cover memberand also of suflicient strength to hold the various sections of the boxtogether even though it is given rough treatment during handling andshipment.

The various sections of the box are preferably made of ply-wood whichmay be fairly thin. For example, I have found that a ply-wood issufficiently strong for most practical purposes in this construction.Even a ply-wood is sufficient in a. small box, say 12"x12x18". Woodveneer or other light wood sheets may be substituted for the ply-wood,if desired, although the ply-wood is to be preferred due to its greatstrength in proportion to weight. The bottom, side and top sections areprovided at their end edges. with cleats l8 which. may be stapled orotherwise secured thereto to promote rigidity and form a rathersubstantial frame-work at each end of the box. The end sectionspreferably comprise simply a flat sheet of thin wood.

Each cleat is preferably formed at one end with a mortise joint is andat the other end with a tongue or tenon 20. When the box is assembledthe four cleats at each end interfit to provide a rigid joint at eachcorner, thereby preventing any movement of the bottom, top and sidesections longitudinally relative to each other.

By using cleats of the type illustrated, in a box that is square intransverse cross-section it is possible to make them all of the samesize and shape, thus greatly simplifying the manufacture thereof. Othertypes of joints, such as a mitred joint, or combinations of miteringwith mortise and tenon, may be employed in joining the ends of thecleats, although I prefer the form shown. because of its strength andsimplicity of manufacture.

In assembling the box it is ordinarily satisfactory to apply tapes onlyalong the longitudinal edges thereof, with an overlap of the tape oneach side sufficient to provide a tight and firm joint. Tapes may alsobe applied at one or both of the vertical edges of the end sections ofthe box on the inside thereof as at 2| and ill) to insure greatertightness, although this is not necessary. These tapes also assist inmaintaining the ends in proper position although this may beaccomplished in other ways as by the use of small nails or tacksfastening the ends of the cleats or simply by the contents of the box.

In the case of a box which is relatively long with respect to the otherdimensions it may be desirable to apply a band 22 around the middlethereof, as shown in Fig. 2. Such a band may be made of metal or othersuitable material and fitted with interlocking prongs and openings 23 tohold the same in place. Tapes in addition to the longitudinal tapes maybe applied to the box around the ends thereof, as shown in Fig. 4 and25, thus producing a bound effect for the structure and lending addedstrength to the corners to prevent splitting of the longitudinal tapesalong the meeting edges of the sections. If desired, the tapes 25 may beused alone without the longitudinal tapes. This provides a rather strongconstruction but is not completely sealed.

The tapes employed in my improved box construction may be of anysuitable type such as gummed paper or cloth. tape gummed on one side andmade of relatively heavy, tough paper, formed in part of old rope orhemp and impregnated with latex, is very satisfactory. The compositetape illustrated in Figs. 1 and 8 is particularly suitable for thepurpose, this being made up of two layers of paper or cloth 26, 2?, heldtogether by adhesive 28 and reinforced by a string 29, or other suitabletough filament. This string may be arranged in a sinuous form to providealternate loops 30, 3| extending transversely of the tape to give itadditional transverse strength. When employing paper tapes, according tothe preferred form of my invention, they should be applied with thegrain of the paper running transversely of the box to afford the maximumstrength.

In making up my improved box in mat form, as shown in Fig. 5, the endedges of the top, bottom and side sections are stapled or otherwisefastened to their respective cleats. The tapes I! are then applied tothe three adjoining edges of the four sections, in such a way as toprovide a sufficient clearance 32 to allow for bending of these varioussections at right angles to each other during folding of the mat into acompleted assembly. The cleats on top It? and bottom preferably do notextend to the very edges of their respective sections but leave a spaceat each end thereof equal to the thickness of the ply-wood so that thesetwo sections will overlap the edges of the side sections in folded andassembled position. Thus the top and bottom sections are supported bythe side sections and much of the strain on the tapes is relieved. Thewidth of the various sections and. their spacing should be so selectedas to insure this relationship, i. e. the sections should be spaced justthe thickness of the ply-wood. If desired the construction might bemodified slightly to cause each section to overlie the edge of oneadjacent section and to have its own edge overlapped by the otheradjacent section.

A strip of tape Ha, similar to the tapes l1, may be applied to the freeedge of either the I have found that a side or top section to act as aclosing and sealing means when the box is finally closed. All that isnecessary in closing the box in its simplest form, is to moisten thefree edge of the tape Ila and attach it to the free edge of the top orside. The end pieces may be attached to the sides I2 and Hi by tapesIll) and when folded down fiat against the side sections will provide amat no thicker than the thickness of the cleats l8. If desired, the freeends of these end sections may be held in place against the sidesections by gummed strips of tape 33 or other suitable means. This willprevent damaging the end pieces in the handling of the mat.

In assembling the box it is simply necessary to tear the strips 33loose, raise the two end sections and fold the mat along the lines 34,35. I prefer to then nail the end sections to one or more of the cleatsadjoining them, for example, the two cleats |8a and 8b and possibly alsocleat |8 (Fig. 1). In lieu of this, however, or in addition thereto, twomore tapes 2|, 2| may be employed along the free vertical edges of theend sections to attach them to the opposite sides and hold the parts infolded relation during packing. Neither of these expedients isessential, however, since the goods will hold the ends tightly againstthe cleats. On the other hand, the nails do lend additional strength tothe box while the extra tapes 2| assist in more completely sealing thebox. After the box is packed the lid is closed and the free edge of thegummed strip In is moistened and attached to the free edge of the lid.

The tape employed in my improved construction lends itself toadvertising. Furthermore, with my improved construction the shipper neednot employ any tools in assembling and packing the box other thanpossibly a hammer if the end pieces are nailed to the cleats. Such apacking box is also advantageous because of the fact that it may be veryreadily reused after the tape is broken at one edge by applying anotherstrip of tape thereover or in place thereof. Such additional tape may besupplied in roll or other suitable form to the users of the boxes. Theend pieces may be directly provided with the extra strips of tape 2| attheir free edges, which may be simply moistened and stuck in place bythe shipper to hold the box in folded condition. If the box is to bereturned in flat mat form to the original point of shipment the strips2| are simply severed and may then be readily replaced when the box isagain assembled and used. As previously explained, the top and bottomsections are illustrated as overlapping and resting on the side and endsections. This construction keeps the box from flexing too much and fromcracking if subjected to heavy weight as frequently occurs when packingboxes are piled one on top of another. This overlapping is especiallydesirable Where paper tapes are to be used, since it relieves such tapesfrom a major portion of the strain which would be otherwise produced.

A distinct advantage of the present construction is that it provides abox of balanced strength. It has been found in testing the box that itsometimes gives way at one point and sometimes at another, thusindicating that there is no waste of material in building up excessivestrength at any particular points. Should it be found necessary toprovide greater strength along any of the longitudinal edges this may beaccomplished by applying an extra strip of tape along one or all ofthese edges. This added reinforcement is particularly desirable alongthe edges of the top member since the cleats of this member cannot benailed readily to the end sections.

In drop tests my improved container has been found to be far superior tocardboard boxes and to stand up as long as wooden boxes of a muchheavier construction. Boxes constructed in accordance with my inventionmay be advantageously used for freight since there are no restrictionsapplied thereto such as are applied to cardboard containers. Actuallyhowever my container protects the contents thereof much better thanrequired by the standards set by railroads and transportation companies.

If desired the tape Ha and the tape 2! may be omitted from the freeedges of their respective sections as the boxes are shipped in mat formand these tapes may then simply be supplied from a roll as required atthe points where the boxes are assembled and packed.

Corner reinforcement is sometimes desirable and may be supplied in anyconvenient manner, as by applying a cloth or paper cap adhesively toeach corner.

The terms and expressions employed herein are used for purposes ofdescription and not of limitation. It is recognized that manymodifications of the construction disclosed may be made within the scopeof the present invention as defined by the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. In a box of the class described, top, bottom, side and end sectionsformed of plywood, cleats fixed to the end edges of said top, bottom andside sections with the ends thereof fitted to each other to preventrelative lateral movement, adhesive tapes sealing three of thelongitudinal corners of said box, adhesive tape applied to the free edgeof one of said sections, and adhesive tapes applied to the inside ofsaid box sealing at least one edge of each of said end sections, saidtapes comprising the means for retaining said sections in assembledposition.

2. In a box of the class described, top, bottom, side and end sectionsformed of plywood, cleats fixed to the end edges of said top, bottom,and

side sections with the ends thereof fitted to each other to preventrelative lateral movement, adhesive strips applied inside said box toside edges of said end sections to seal said edges, and relatively longand narrow strips of readily flexible paper applied to at least three ofthe longitudinal corners of said box, said strips comprising the primarymeans for sealing said corners and holding said sections in assembledposition.

3. In a box of the class described, top, bottom, side and end sectionsformed of plywood, cleats fixed to the end edges of said top, bottom,and side sections, said cleats being of substantially the same lengthand having a mortise at one end and a tenon at the other, means forsecuring said sections together consisting of strips of adhesive tapeapplied to the longitudinal corners of said box, and strips of adhesivetape joining the end sections and side sections, said top and bottomsections overlying the edges of said side sections.

4. A knock-down shipping box arranged in mat form comprising plywoodtop, bottom and side sections disposed side by side in a continuousline, cleats having ends formed to cooperate and interengage with eachother fixed to the end edges of said top, bottom, and side sections,strips of adhesive tape applied to the three sets of adjacent edges ofsaid sections to form hinges and seals therefor, and end sections hingedto said sides adjacent the ends thereof by adhesive strips.

5. A knock-down shipping box arranged in mat form comprising plywoodtop, bottom and side sections dis-posed side by side in a continuousline, cleats having ends formed to cooperate and interengage with eachother fixed to the end edges of said top, bottom, and side sections,strips of adhesive tape applied to the three sets of adjacent edges ofsaid sections to form hinges and seals therefor, an end section hingedto one side section adjacent a cleat thereof by an adhesive strip, asecond end section hinged to the other side section by an adhesive stripadjacent the cleat thereof on the opposite side of said mat, andtemporary means for holding the free ends of said end sections flatagainst said side sections.

NATHAN 'I'UFTS.

